MG’S SUV is huge on value.. and space

MG is slowly gaining ground in the UK. The Chinese-owned company isn’t a big player but it sold 4,500 cars here last year which, while it won’t give Ford nightmares, is at least a significant number.

Its plan is quite simple – offer cars that are good value for money, competent if not class leading, and which come with a good package. Like a seven-year and 80,000-mile warranty. That’s the sort of headline offer that makes people take notice, and only Kia can match it.

The latest MG model offers all of the above. It’s called the ZS and is a compact SUV, therefore joining a host of rivals including the ever popular Nissan Juke.

Car designers love big wheels. Bigger the better. The recently launched Jaguar I-PACE (tested next week) has huge 22in wheels but the 17in wheels that are standard on our Exclusive topof-the-range test car look too small for the wheel arches and are almost lost in them.

Otherwise the ZS looks perfectly acceptable. It’s a bit derivative because the front end could be from a Mazda and the MG ZS Exclusive four door crossover

Price: £17,495

Engine: 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol, 109bhp

0-62mph: 12.4sec

Fuel consumption: 44.9mpg

rear from a Kia. But let’s move to the more practical advantages of this new MG. You get a lot of space for your money. Although you’re paying a price that undercuts the Nissan Juke you’re actually getting interior space for passengers and luggage that is nearer to the bigger Qashqai’s dimensions.

Adults will be perfectly comfort-